City considering increased funding options for the Orinda Library

The Orinda City Council at its Nov. 21 meeting unanimously authorized the city staff to issue a request for proposal to hire a public opinion polling firm to measure options for an Orinda Library parcel tax.

"We need additional revenue for the library," said Vice Mayor Amy Worth, and no one on the council disagreed. The library parcel tax of $39 has been in effect since 2008, and the staff projected that money for operations will run out in 2018-19. There is no source of funding for long-term maintenance, either. With no additional revenue, the council would consider adjustments to library service levels.

The council members agreed that the polling firm should report on establishing proper ballot language and the level of funding voters will support. If the council wants to place a parcel tax on the ballot in June, it would need to act by March 9, so polling would have to begin in January.

But how do pollsters get to voters in the cell phone age when people rarely answer calls from numbers they do not recognize? "I'm skeptical of telephone polling and its effectiveness," said Council Member Darlene Gee, who also questioned the proposed $25,000 cost to pay the polling firm. "I would risk putting the library on the ballot without spending the money," she said.

Mayor Eve Phillips suggested doing an online poll after the phone poll and compare the results. "That would tell us how far off we are when we do this kind of outreach," Phillips said. "It would be an extra testing step."

In the end the council members agreed to authorize up to $25,000 for the RFP, with guidance to keep the poll simple and focused only on the library.

"The measure takes two-thirds to pass, so it's very important to get it right," Worth said.



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